India has requested the US government to ensure that "due process" is followed in the case involving Indian Institute of Technology alumnus Vikram Buddhi charged with sending threatening e-mails to several American leaders, including former US president George W Bush.
In response to a question on the case of Buddhi, the official spokesman of the ministry of external affairs said, "Buddhi, an Indian national, has been charged in the US with sending threatening emails to several US leaders.
"He is presently under detention in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. He was pursuing a Phd in the Purdue University, Indiana," the spokesman said.
Pointing out that Buddhi had been tried and convicted through a US court process, the spokesman said, "The matter is presently sub judice and we have requested the US government to ensure that due process is followed. This we continue to seek."
US Federal prosecution was launched against Buddhi in 2006 and a US court sentenced Buddhi last week to 57 months' imprisonment, a judgment he has challenged.
The MEA said that on the appeal of Buddhi's family last month that the case be looked into by the US attorney general, the Indian Ambassador in Washington had raised the matter with the US attorney general and the US department of state.
Earlier, the ministry had taken up the matter with the US embassy in New Delhi, the statement said, adding that the Indian Consulate General in Chicago has had consular access to Buddhi and is closely following his case.